Common Illnesses and Symptoms in Kittens

1 Common Kitten Illnesses and Their Signs

A sick kitten is usually listless, with dull or half-closed eyes, slow to sound or touch; the worse the case, the weaker the response, even coma and lost reflexes.

Some show the opposite, biting things, crying, restless.

In kittenhood, these diseases are common, owners beware.

Parvovirus

When a kitten runs a fever, grows depressed, body temperature drops, weakens, dehydrates, loses appetite, vomits, and diarrheas, it may have parvo.

Feline parvo is very serious; white cells crash and the kitten can die fast. It has a 2 to 9 day incubation, and acute cases die within 24 hours.

Kitten gastroenteritis

A kitten’s gut is fragile, more so when young.

The stomach is very shallow, so feed kitten-specific food in controlled amounts; diarrhea, vomiting, or fever signals gastroenteritis.

Rhinotracheitis

An acute contagious disease, also called infectious rhinotracheitis; early signs are fever, cough, sneeze, tearing, runny nose.

For kittens this is very serious and can kill if ignored.

If these signs appear, see a vet at once, and isolate other cats at home.

Ringworm

The classic sign is a small round bald patch with scaly skin in the center, often with pus bumps.

The patch may start as a dot and spread, and itch from irritation.

Ringworm favors the head, ears, and tail. Damp, hot homes raise a kitten’s risk.

Ear mites

If the ears hold brown-black dirt, some oily, some dry and flaky.

And the kitten scratches its ears with a hind leg, it has ear mites.

Weak kittens in groups catch ear mites more than adults; buy ear-mite cleanser and clean the ears.